High Hopes
by Christie Redfield
Summary: Tag for Reset. Three perspectives the end of the finale.


_Disclaimer: Warehouse 13 is © SyFy and the show's creator(s). No copyright infringement is intended whatsoever nor is any profit being made from this fanfic; i.e. it is purely non-profit._

_Claimer: The only thing I own is this story, nothing more, nothing less.  
_

_Spoilers: Seasons 1 & 2._

_Feedback: Love it, live for it, cherish it._

_Category: Angst/Friendship_

_Rating: K+ _

_Summary: Tag for Reset. Three perspectives the end of the finale._

_Author(s) Notes: Beta read by the ever awesome __**CubKitPup**__. :)_

High Hopes

By Christie Redfield

Pete barely registered the dull loud clank of the Warehouse's door as it slammed shut behind him, his sneakers pounding against the dry, dusty floor of the badlands. He froze as he watched the black SUV speed away, the air around him suddenly feeling drier, hotter. His heart clenched inside his chest, feeling as cold and as hard as stone as the size of the SUV grew smaller and smaller as it moved further and further away, before it eventually disappeared beyond the horizon. And then, just like that, it was gone. She was gone.

Pete stood frozen to the ground, shock and realization not quite willing to sink in just yet. Numbly he reached inside his pocket, and extracted his cell phone. Pete brought up the speed dial, and his thumb froze as he found another number next to his partner's. Kelly. His _one_, or was she?

In a flash he found himself back outside the Warehouse, only this time, Myka was still with him, waiting patiently inside the SUV as he spoke to Kelly on the phone.

He should have been happy, Hell he should have been elated. But why, why didn't he feel happy there in that moment? Was it because Kelly hadn't said those three little words back to him? Or was it because of the hurt look in his partner's eyes when she glanced his way?

Pete could recall all too well the look in her eyes when they accidentally locked gazes; they had barely held each other's gaze for half a second, before she turned away just as quickly. It was brief, but he would never forget the way her eyes held him, like a dam about to burst. He pegged it on her being the third wheel, having to bear witness to the little soap opera that was his love life. Were the tears for him, because she wished she was his_ one_? Or was it because she knew she'd find herself here later, leaving the one place that made her the happiest behind?

This, this wasn't his happy place anymore. Never again would he hear her voice chiding him as he reached for an artifact safely tucked away on the shelves out of curiosity, her voice scolding him as she batted his prying fingers away. He would have smiled sheepishly, only to be awarded with a slight shake of her head, her curls bouncing around her face as she laughed as he joked with her to alleviate the tension. They wouldn't bicker back and forth to each other in Pig Latin, nor would they divide up duties over games of rock paper scissor. There'd be no more lazy summer afternoons spent together lying on his bed, reading comic books, no early morning jogs on the trails in the cool autumn air. This was an empty place now, a broken home, and his heart, felt even emptier.

Losing your love was bad enough, losing your best friend was even worse. And right now, more than anything, he just wanted his partner back. Pete cursed his vibes; he should have never gone against them, why didn't he listen to his vibes, why? If not for his sake, but for hers.

Pete barely registered the tears on his face as looked towards the horizon, his heart clenched tightly in his chest, and he choked back a sob. He always knew that this would happen, he never wanted to believe it, but at the same time he anticipated it with a sense of dread. All he wanted was her forgiveness; never again would he go against his vibes, especially if it meant bringing Myka back.

* * *

Myka squeezed her eyes shut tight, hot tears streaming from her eyes as she clutched her cell phone in one hand, and the steering wheel in her other hand. Choking back a sob she hit the cancel button on her phone, and then once more powering the phone off before she tossed into the passenger side seat, her eyes returning to the road.

Sniffling, she reached up to swipe her fingers across her eyes, pushing away her tears. She had no right to tears, no right, at all. This cross, it was hers alone to bear, and as painful and as bearing as its weight was on her shoulders, she felt entitled to it.

In her eyes, she had failed them, the small group of people she had come to call a second family. The brave warrior had let fall her sword and shield, mesmerized by the horse as the Trojans once had, and in turn she had all but laid down her defenses, welcoming the enemy with open arms.

She had desperately wanted to believe that there was good in Helena's heart, though it only now seemed it had long been buried, vengeance and malice overtaking her. In her eyes they were the ones who had failed, humankind, and in a way, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been right. Humans would forever war with one another, such was the fate of mankind so it seemed, but where there was war, there was also hope, peace. For Helena, so it seemed there was no such thing, only endless death and destruction that would ultimately give birth to a utopia.

On the one hand it broke her heart to see the path that Helena had taken, she had found in the woman a kindred spirit, one whom she had admired and respected, having to face many of the challenges she herself had to just to prove her worth. There again, she thought perhaps that the original time traveler herself felt out of place, out of time. So much had changed for her in this strange new world, and coupled with the loss of her daughter, clearly it was more than she could take.

Her heart ached as she thought of her partner, the sad, forlorn look in his eyes as he leaned over the railing back at the Warehouse. How on Earth she had managed to keep her tears at bay was beyond her, nothing more than in that moment did she want to reach across the railing, gently grasp his hand in hers, tell him they would be okay, that they would pull through this. And as much as it pained her to do so, she resisted, she had made her decision, she…

Without warning, she jerked the wheel hard to the right and pulled alongside the road's shoulder. Throwing the SUV into park, Myka breathed in deeply, before she rested her forearms across the steering wheel, and she closed her eyes, a harsh sob escaping her throat, as her body wracking with sobs.

It was still too fresh, the memory in her mind, the lost and tortured look upon her partner's features as he contemplated his future. Her hand tightened into a fist smacking lightly against the steering wheel as she continued to cry.

Why in God's name did he have to be selfless? Why couldn't he have warned her sooner about Helena, why? Did he truly value her happiness that much, more than she herself did? Her heart locked itself in a vice grip as she remembered penning the letter. He was so much more to her than just a brother; words could do him no justice. In her eyes, he had saved her, helped to restore her faith in life, give her a reason to smile, what could she possibly offer him in return?

Lifting her head up off of her arms, Myka pushed a stray curled strand away from her eyes, and she sniffled, before she put the SUV back in drive, and resumed her drive down the road. Pete deserved someone worthy of him, someone who he could count on in a pinch, someone who would always have his back, and that someone was not her. She loved him far too much, perhaps more than she knew. She would not and she could not see him become another Sam. Artie would find someone, someone better, someone first rate, she was only second best, Pete deserved better. Artie deserved better. The Warehouse deserved better.

Artie would find someone she reassured herself, he always did.

* * *

Claudia sat frozen stiff, her back ramrod straight as she listened to Mrs. Frederic speak, her words fell on deaf ears, a white noise filling the redhead's mind instead as she stared off blankly into space.

Claudia tried not to look up as she spied Pete swing down from the metal staircase; his movements desperate as he tore off towards the exit door like a bat out of Hell. Claudia closed her eyes, fighting back tears as she heard him punch in the unlock code with lightning quick precision that would make any hacker proud. The sound of his hurried footfalls echoed loudly as the heavy steel door closed behind him.

Swallowing down a hard lump in her throat, Claudia bit down on her lip as she squeezed her eyes shut again briefly. Myka was likely already gone. The fact that she had chosen to go the Dear John approach made it that much harder, and if Pete's heart wasn't already shattered from losing Kelly, it was likely in tatters now. She herself had been worried as to how Todd would react to the strange little world she lived in, but that was a picnic compared to the way Kelly had been thrust into it. Idly, she wondered if she would ever see Todd again, or even Doug for that matter. Or even Myka.

Strangely enough, as much as Claudia wanted to be angry with Myka, she couldn't. Sure, HG scared her, but in a way she could see why Myka admired the other woman. HG was truly a woman ahead of her time, but because of her gender, others refused to see her intellect. The very idea that a woman of her time could possess such intelligence was an improbability to the men of her time; others would even consider it heresy. Yet with the guise of a man's name and persona, her works would be heralded for years to come.

In Myka's case, she had to fight her way up the career ladder to prove herself, in a heavily male dominated profession no less. In HG, Myka had found an equal, a kinship. Both had also lost their partners, but in Myka's case, the weight of that loss ran deeper, she closed herself off, burying herself in her work, pushing herself to her very limit just to prove her worth. For all her self criticisms, Claudia could see that she was an exceptional agent, and for that reason alone, she admired her.

For every bruise Pete gained on a mission, Myka had just as many to match. Claudia didn't know much about Myka's former partner, nor did she feel it her place to open up old wounds, but what she did know was that she would sacrifice her own safety before she let something happen to Pete.

Pete was the exact same way, and though he'd likely never admit it, Claudia knew deep down in her heart that he loved Myka. He had helped her to heal, to trust again, to laugh again. For him to lose both his girlfriend and his best friend in the same day had to have been torturous. She didn't need to see the look in his eyes as he raced out the door earlier, his actions alone spoke loudly enough.

HG knew exactly what she was doing, and she had ripped out not just one heart, but several of them. It was for that reason alone, she could not be angry with Myka, she hadn't just played all of them; she played the woman who had come to consider her a friend. Did she even care that she believed in her, or did she only care for her own selfish benefit? Claudia wondered.

They needed to pull together. They needed Myka back. They couldn't do this on their own without her. Pair Pete up with another partner? He'd have none of it. She'd have none of it.

Claudia lifted her head up, as she cast a glance around in the room, everyone sat still in deathly silence. This, this was too much to bear; she had to get out of here. Swiping a hand across her eyes, she hurriedly made her way to the exit door, and punched in the unlock code, not saying anything. The door was barely open as she slipped inside as she ran through the umbilicus. Claudia's steps slowed as she reached the outer door, her hand shook as she lifted her hand to the key panel. Shaking her head, she ran her hands through her reddish blond hair before finally proceeding to enter in the unlock code.

A hot blast of air hit her face as the door swung open, the sunlight pouring inside the umbilicus. Shielding her eyes she scanned the surrounding area, her heart nearly breaking as she spied a familiar form sitting half hunched over against the concrete and steel support beam. Timidly, Claudia marched forward stirring up small dust clouds beneath her sneakers. His knees were drawn tightly to his chest, chin resting atop them.

"She's gone." He spoke quietly not looking up at the redhead, his voice quiet and distant, his eyes unseeing. Silently Claudia sat down on the ground next to Pete, and she rested her head against his shoulder as he spoke again, "She's gone Claude." Pete's voice was hoarse, and without a word, Claudia wrapped her arms around his waist as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his form shaking. "She's gone." Pete's voice cracked, tears falling from his eyes as he spoke.

Claudia bit her lip, her own tears finally falling free as she tightened her embrace around him. Her voice was shaky as she spoke, but her message was clear despite her tears, "We'll get her back, we have to, this place needs her, we need her, she needs us." _And she needs you too. _She wasn't sure how, she wasn't sure when, but somehow, someway, they'd bring her back. They had too.

**-FIN**


End file.
